30921 - Teaching of the Italian Language L2 (LM) (A-G)

Learning outcomes

Students develop and/or consolidate some key skills through specialised readings: the ability to analyse how the Italian language works, not only in terms of the language as a ‘system’ (at phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and semantic levels) but also in terms of its ‘use’ (the textual and pragmatic dimensions); the capacity to reflect critically on the mechanisms of communication, considered in relation to both general social (individual and social) behaviours and the specificities of communication in Italian; the ability to develop coherent and conscious proposals in the field of teaching Italian as a second language.

Course contents

The field of Learning and Teaching Italian as a Second Language (L2) is really heterogeneous, both concerning learners' individual characteristics (age, motivations, linguistic needs, linguistic biographies, etc.) and learning contexts (institutional, non-formal, informal; in Italy and abroad).
Connecting with the most important international and local researches in the field, the first part of the course will be devoted to the analysis of the interlanguage in Italian as a second language.

We will address both the processes related to the Italian L2 acquisition as a cognitive and sociocultural phenomenon (the theoretical bases), and the teaching models and tools aimed at the fostering learning in the class (the methodological bases).

In the first part of the course, we will introduce a number of studies in the field of second language acquisition, which have developed from the concept of interlanguage and aim at describing the phases and sequences through which the acquisition of language structures takes place, as these gradually appear during the individuals’ cognitive processing of L2 structures. In order to relate the above-mentioned theoretical concepts to concrete situations of spontaneous and guided learning (and in order to consider the difference due to learners’ age), we will analyse samples of interlanguage taken from both monologs and dialogues.

In the second part of the course, we will examine in depth Italian L2 learning from the perspective of ‘language socialisation in a second language’. In other words, we will consider learning as an interactional process and observe it as it takes place in the discourse practices, which, in turn, are embedded in social situations; in particular, among the possible situations, we will specifically focus on educational contexts which are sociolinguistically and culturally heterogeneous, being characterised by bilingualism, multilingualism, code switching or other phenomena linked to the contact among different languages and cultures. Sessions of analysis of audio- and video-recorded class interactional sequences will allow us to identify what are the recurring features of human interaction in general and what phenomena specifically pertain to multilingual classes.

Overall, the course aims at developing awareness of the processes involved in language learning and teaching, at fostering the ability to observe the very interactional dynamics of the language class, and at reaching an understanding of how such dynamics can ease L2 acquisition. More specifically, at the end of the course, students will be able to “read and interpret” linguistic, communicative, interactional competences of Italian L2 learners.

We will consider the implications of each of these aspects when addressing language teaching to specific groups of learners: children, young adults, and adults.

Readings/Bibliography

Introductory reading:

· R. Pugliese, “Come si impara una lingua straniera”, in N. Grandi, F.Masini, Tutto ciò che hai sempre voluto sapere sul linguaggio e sulle lingue, Cesena, Caissa, 2017, pp. 77 - 80 [4 pagg].

 

• Second language acquisition

— C. Andorno, A. Valentini, R. Grassi (2017), Verso una nuova lingua: capire l’acquisizione di L2, UTET; capitoli 1, 2, 3, 7 [totale pagg: 162]

— D. Bao (2019), “The place of silence in second language acquisition”, in ELTAR- English Language Teaching and Research 1/1, pp. 26-42 [16 pagg.]

— G. Pallotti (2020) “La prospettiva dell’interlingua nella formazione degli insegnanti”, in A. Sansò (a cura di), Insegnare Linguistica: basi epistemologiche, metodi, applicazioni, Atti del LIII Congresso della Società di Linguistica Italiana, Officinaventuno, pp. 277-294 [17 pagg.].

https://www.societadilinguisticaitaliana.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/013_Pallotti_Atti_SLI_LIII_Insubria.pdf

— E. Nuzzo, S. Rastelli (2009), “Didattica acquisizionale e cortesia linguistica in italiano L2”, in Cuadernos de Filología Italiana, 16, pp. 13-30 [17 pagg.].

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38830506.pdf

— G. Scivoletto (2022), “I marcatori del discorso per la didattica dell’italiano L2: dalla ricerca acquisizionale alla pratica glottodidattica”, in Italiano LinguaDue, 1 [21 pagg.].

https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/promoitals/article/view/18171

• The language socialization approach

— Rod Gardner (2019), “Classroom Interaction Research: The State of the Art”, Research on Language and Social Interaction, 52/3, pp.212-226 [14 pagg.].

— S. Eskildsen, A. Reza Majlesi (2018), “Learnables and Teachables in Second Language Talk: Advancing a Social Reconceptualization of Central SLA Tenets. Introduction to the Special Issue”, in The Modern Language Journal, 102, [8 pagg.].

— N. Nasi, 2022, Pratiche di inclusione ed esclusione in classe. Socializzazione e organizzazione sociale nel gruppo dei pari, Armando Editore [capitoli 2, 4, 5, 7] [ totale pagg 104]

— R. Pugliese (2020), “In italiano e in altre lingue, a casa e a scuola: le interazioni tra pari nella socializzazione linguistica”, in LEND, 1, pp.25-39 [15 pagg.].

— D.S. Fagan (2015), “Managing language errors in real-time: A microanalysis of teacher practices”, in System, 55, pp.74-85 [11 pagg.].

• The multilingual perspective: dynamics of classroom communication and instructional design

— Pugliese R., Malavolta S. (2017), “La pluralità linguistica in classe come risorsa per le attività riflessive. Esperienze didattiche nella scuola secondaria di I e II grado”, in M. Vedovelli (a cura di), L’italiano dei nuovi italiani. Atti del XIX Convegno Nazionale del GISCEL, Siena, 7-9 aprile 2016, Aracne, pagg. 269-289 [20 pagg.].

— C. Andorno, P. Della Putta, R. Pugliese, S. Sordella, G. Zanoni (2023), “Per un’educazione linguistica plurale: la formazione degli insegnanti in un’ottica di progettazione co-partecipata”, Italiano LinguaDue 1 [17 pagg.]

https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/promoitals/article/view/21975

— M. D’Agostino (2023), “Comunicazione multilingue fra apprendimento e uso. In Italia ma senza italiani”, in Italiano LinguaDue 1, [ 12 pagg.]

https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/promoitals/article/view/20395

Italiano L2: l’operatività in classe

— P. Diadori P., M.Palerno, D.Troncarelli, Manuale di didattica dell’italiano L2, Guerra Edizioni, 2009: [la ristampa del 2021 è pubblicata da Carocci, con il titolo: Insegnare l’italiano come seconda lingua]; cap.10, “Modelli operativi”, pp.204-227 [23 pagg].

 

 

Teaching methods

- Frontal and dialogic lessons. Students attending the course are expected to read the corresponding study material, which will be suggested in a detailed course outline ("dates, contents and readings"), on the first day of the course.

-Exercises in order to analyze (i.) different examples of interlanguage, taken from linguistic elicited or spontaneous productions; (ii.) several examples of natural interaction in the classroom (transcribed audio sequences), in order to identify some specific phenomena of the plurilingual classes and of the L2 socialization, together with the structural aspects of the interaction.

Assessment methods

Learning will be assessed by means of a written and an oral exam. Students are required to write an essay on a specific topic of their choice among three/four in a list provided by the teacher. Students will receive specific guidelines concerning the following points: essay structure, text formatting, sources, and schedule to submit the essay.

(b) both general and specific questions on the topics dealt with during the course. The evaluation criteria of the student's answers will be mainly the following: precision and appropriateness, an organic and broad view of themes, a capacity in establishing connections among topics, clearness and language accuracy of the oral exposition.

Teaching tools

Slides that will be available on Virtuale.

In the workshop activities different materials will be used: photocopies; teaching websites; video and audio material.

Office hours

See the website of Rosa Pugliese